Volume 7, Chapter 72 – The Eternal Song

An even fiercer mana storm whipped up in the underground research lab. Hair and skirts fluttered loudly in the gale. It was difficult even to keep one’s eyes open against the light radiating from the magic circles. Only when the obscure and difficult incantations gradually faded did Fia finally see the scene within the circles clearly.

Within the two differently colored magic circles lay two young girls with identical appearances.

—That was the scene ten minutes ago.

Now, Fia was striding swiftly through the corridors.

Claire’s magic had also failed. The reason was that Anastasia’s soul itself wasn’t complete—or rather, it existed in a strange manner, similar to Claire’s own existence. This soul shouldn’t have appeared in this world, yet it did. Moreover, it was missing a part, thus it couldn’t be contained by things of this world. That was Claire’s explanation. Though parts of it were hard to understand, one thing was clear:

This magic had failed.

The good news was there was still hope.

Claire also didn’t belong to this world. If Claire used her soul-bound weapon as material, she could craft a body for Anastasia. The only remaining issue was time.

As long as she wakes next time, the transfer will surely succeed.

Fia had this intuition.

Though having just faced failure, Fia’s mood was exceptionally relaxed. Nothing was more reassuring than receiving definite news. Even if they had to wait a while longer, it was better than flailing around like a headless fly.

Unfortunately, due to the intense mana flow, Anastasia had fallen into deep sleep again.

Should I have talked with Anastasia a bit more before the ritual, then let it begin?

Thinking this, Fia, having just emerged from the underground lab, hurried towards the bedroom. Earlier, she had first brought the sleeping Anastasia back to her room, then returned to the lab per Claire’s instructions to hear the explanation.

In any case, when Anastasia woke, she had to tell her this hopeful news: souls from another world were repelled by things of this world. This rule constantly puzzled Claire and Milu—how had she not thought of such a simple answer?

“Ahh, too slow-witted.”

She uttered the lament as she reached the bedroom door and pushed it open.

Then, the look of joy that had just been on her face instantly solidified.

The bed was empty. The shoes under the bed were also gone.

In the bathroom?

“Anastasia?”

Calling out, Fia walked to the bathroom door. It was wide open, empty inside.

Where did she go?

Fia hurriedly checked the library, living room, and dining hall, asking the palace maids. Similarly, no one had seen Anastasia anywhere.

Did she go outside the Twilight Palace into the Royal Castle again, like before, wanting to see its full view?

The guards at the entrance must know.

Holding this thought, Fia hurriedly inquired with the sentries. Yet, they also hadn’t seen anyone come or go.

The Royal Castle was heavily guarded, let alone the Twilight Palace where the Crown Princess resided. How could a person just vanish into thin air? Especially in the Royal Castle, protected by [Citadel of Silence].

An ominous premonition rose in her heart.

—Maybe the second failure made Anastasia lose confidence, wanting to end things herself.

No, wait.

The Twilight Palace wasn’t bound by the restriction preventing magic use. People here could use magic. If so, what magic could make someone vanish?

The answer was all too obvious.

Teleportation.

Anastasia didn’t know teleportation magic, but there were people in the Twilight Palace who could. Before undergoing [High-Level Genesis], Anastasia mentioned the Watcher and knew she could be used for teleportation.

That was the answer.

As her thoughts raced at high speed, Fia also used [Mana Vision] to search for the Watcher’s trace within the Twilight Palace.

The Watcher was only interested in those with youthful forms. The Demon Generals’ purposes were quite pure. Anastasia’s physique was more mature than the Watcher’s; the Watcher had no motive.

The Watcher wasn’t in the entire Twilight Palace.

Moreover, even Lianne and Friede were gone.

Damn it.

Demon Generals could sense each other.

Go find the Knowledge-Seeking Demon General.

Thinking this far, Fia hastily pulled aside a maid, gave instructions, and rushed out the door. [Flight] and [Flowing Wind’s Blessing] allowed Fia to reach the Witch Sanctuary in moments, appearing before Laplace’s vision.

“Oh! Lady Fia, you’ve come.”

Rеαⅾ oո ΚatRеаⅾіnɡСafе

“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now. Where’s the Knowledge-Seeker? And Lianne and Friede, where are they?”

“Knowledge-Seeker? He went to the Second Abyss you mentioned recently. He was very interested. Lianne and Friede just came to greet me, told me about your situation. You seem very anxious. What’s wrong?”

“The Second Abyss? Do you know where the Watcher went?”

“This… the Watcher isn’t productive; I know little about her. For you to be this anxious… Did something happen to that maid lady?”

Seeing Fia lower her head in thought, Laplace continued to flicker slightly.

“Frankly, I don’t understand your anxiety. She doesn’t belong here. Now she can barely maintain conscious will. You should give her a final push to hasten the return of the one who belongs here. This world has always repelled outsiders. Making things return to the correct track sooner is the wise move. The more you invest in her, the more you’ll lose. Ultimately, I don’t understand why you care about her. She should be an outsider to you. Including what I did initially—making her pick up the Key of the World Tree to end herself—was also thinking of sending her back to that world sooner. If you hadn’t stopped me then, you wouldn’t be so anxious now. You are only adding to your troubles.”

“You should be glad I know you can only think rationally, and that you’re parasitic in this crystal.”

Not intimidated by Fia’s cold words, Laplace used [Telekinesis] to make a helpless shrugging gesture.

“That’s naturally within my considerations. If I were a mortal, physical being, I wouldn’t say these things. Calculations tell me it’s dangerous.”

“……”

So, her initial feeling was right. Laplace, from an absolutely rational perspective, never intended to save both Anastasias from the start… No, what was she doing, arguing with an AI?

Coming back to herself, Fia pursed her lips. She had already guessed where Anastasia might have gone.

“One day, when I transfer your soul into a human body, you’ll understand that absolute rationality is a tragic form of torture.”

With that, Fia activated teleportation.

The gray, misty Land of Exile.

Without pausing, Fia headed straight for the wooden house where Anastasia used to live. When she saw light inside, her tense heart finally landed. Rushing inside, she happened to see Anastasia tidying the bed.

Bathed in the setting sun’s glow, Anastasia’s entire figure was draped in a gorgeous golden-red, so beautiful it felt like being in a dream.

“Anastasia.”

Letting out a long sigh of relief, Fia walked closer.

“Eh? Your Highness? You came so quickly?”

Anastasia turned in surprise, her face slightly pale but movements very agile, showing no trace of weakness.

“What do you mean ‘so quickly’? You left without a word. Luckily, I guessed you’d come here.”

“Well… I should have left a note for you on the bed. When I woke and found you weren’t in the room, I thought of going out to find you. I happened to run into Miss Watcher, and for various reasons, asked her to bring me to the Land of Exile. She also has great sympathy for the children here.”

“You dared to go with a Demon General because you knew I’d find you?”

“You allowed Miss Watcher into the Twilight Palace; she must not be a bad person.”

It was just a farce.

Anastasia indeed wouldn’t do something like vanishing without reason. On the way, she had almost thought the second failure made Anastasia lose confidence, choosing a place to end things, worrying immensely.

As if remembering something, Anastasia pattered quickly to the backyard. The wooden platform there held steaming tea, obviously prepared by Anastasia earlier.

“After waking up earlier, I felt my body had recovered quite well. So, after arriving, I tried my hand at making tea. The taste is surprisingly good, still a tiny bit bitter, but definitely better than what the palace maids or Your Highness brew. I made a fool of myself last time we were here. If not for that dream, I would have forgotten it was actually you and I who cleaned this house together.”

Saying this, Anastasia tilted her head at Fia. Her wide, clear blue eyes were filled with puzzlement.

“Won’t Your Highness try it?”

“Now isn’t the time to talk about these things.”

Saying this, Fia had already passed through the small living room and sat on the wooden platform in the backyard. As usual, from here one could overlook the entire plain. With it being dusk, orange-red light bathed the grasslands, shrouding the whole world in a rather magnificent golden-red haze.

She tilted her head, seriously observing Anastasia, making Anastasia, who had just brought the tea before her, feel a wave of shyness.

“Wh-what is it… suddenly staring at me.”

“Just thinking you’ve recovered too well, feeling unaccustomed. Is it because of [High-Level Genesis]? Before, Anastasia needed support to walk, but now she can brew tea properly and even jog.”

“Maybe? Anyway, after waking up, I felt in much better condition.”

Not a trace of gloom could be seen in her eyes. Anastasia pushed the teacup closer to Fia again, her eyes full of expectation.

No need to say she wanted Fia to taste it. Fia sighed helplessly, complying with Anastasia’s wish, taking the cup for a small sip.

It was indeed tea brewed by Anastasia—the aroma was intense, with a sweet aftertaste rising from the back of the tongue.

Fia couldn’t help but sneak another glance at Anastasia. Being outdoors, Anastasia’s golden hair danced slightly in the evening breeze. Her cautious, expectant-of-praise eyes made her seem like a young girl in the midst of passionate love.

It was truly a long time coming.

As if the days spent waiting for Anastasia to wake never happened.

“So? How is it?”

Rеаⅾ οո ΚatRеαⅾіոɡСαfе

Anastasia asked, full of expectation.

“Excellent. Only you can brew this flavor.”

“That’s good.”

Anastasia’s tension instantly melted away. Her relieved sigh made Fia hesitate to speak the following words. She paused for a moment, placing the teacup on her lap.

“That… Anastasia must have also noticed Claire’s magic failed.”

“Mhm. After all, I can feel the strength in this body. If it had succeeded, I’d be more energetic. But one failure doesn’t mean future ones will too. Isn’t that what you said?”

“Right.”

Her low spirits recovered slightly. Fia couldn’t help but smile. She was the one being comforted by the patient. Her expression brightened, thumb gently stroking the cup’s surface.

“Claire said the reason for failure is your soul doesn’t belong to this world, so it can’t be accepted by things from here. Next, she just needs to use something that also doesn’t belong to this world to craft a body, then she can successfully transfer your soul. In other words, the next time she performs [High-Level Genesis], you and this world’s Anastasia can coexist.”

“But where to find something not from this world?”

“Claire’s soul-bound weapons aren’t from this world. She just needs time to modify them.”

“But Miss Claire and my previous world aren’t the same either. Would that still work?”

“Claire says it will, so it definitely will.”

Reading the determination in Fia’s words, Anastasia paused for a moment, then gave a helpless, bitter smile.

“Then I owe an incredible debt… Using her soul-bound weapon on someone like me. And I’m the contemptible person who stole Miss Claire’s beloved. Miss Claire is too gentle.”

“‘Stole’ is debatable. First, even without the soul-bound weapons, just Claire being willing to spend all her effort to save you already puts us in an unrepayable debt. As for being gentle, isn’t Anastasia the same? If Claire needed help, you’d also assist her with all your might. I can already imagine how anxious you would look.”

“…Hypothesizing about what didn’t happen is meaningless. You said that. Ah—”

Here, Anastasia startled suddenly. She leaned slightly towards Fia, saying seriously,

“Speaking of which, I dreamed of you just now. You also told me hypotheses were meaningless. And said many bizarre things.”

“Bizarre things? Like?”

“Like… you said I came to this world because the ‘me’ here fulfilled a wish in a dream. And that your death was premeditated.”

“There’s such a dream?”

It sounded like the dead giving the living a clarifying dream.

The conversation fell into a brief silence. The orange-red sun sank bit by bit below the mountain ridge. In the open world, only the rustling sound of evening wind through grass remained.

At this time, silence is better than words—this must be it . Fia thought. Though no words were spoken, it felt more satisfying than talking.

Suddenly, Anastasia spoke.

“Actually… there’s something I’ve been hiding from you.”

“Anastasia would lie to me?”

“The situation was unique then.” As if afraid of reproach, Anastasia tightly clasped her hands on her lap. “It was when you hadn’t slept for days for the other Anastasia. I’d never seen you in such a frightening state—seemingly losing your reason. But the root cause was me. If I hadn’t taken the other’s body, you wouldn’t have gone sleepless for days… So I was both scared and full of self-blame, worried you hated me, and blaming myself for making you like that. I thought of how to make you calm down again, so I lied to you, saying my connection with the other me was slowly strengthening. Actually, that wasn’t true…”

“Uh.”

Fia’s expression froze.

She hadn’t expected Anastasia to deceive her on something so important.

Thinking Fia was angry, Anastasia hastily explained.

“Looking back, the lie wasn’t wrong. The other me is slowly returning… That said, deceiving you is still a fact. Are… are you angry? If you are, punish me… after I’m a bit better…”

Fia reached out and, under Anastasia’s fearful gaze, patted her head, saying exasperatedly,

“If you had said this earlier, I would have been angry. But not now. Especially since you’re still weak. As for punishment—”

Fia deliberately drew out her tone, watching Anastasia’s nervous and worried expression as she curved her lips.

“—I curse you to never be able to leave me.”

Anastasia was stunned instantly, then became shy and flustered.

“Th-that’s a blessing…”

“If I say it’s a curse, it’s a curse. Anyway, I forgive you for lying. But don’t do it again. If you want me to calm down, say it directly. I will, for now, carefully contemplate my actions after a moment of heated emotion. Anything else? No other lies?”

“Mmm… no more.”

Anastasia smiled. The previous tension completely turned into relief. She quietly took Fia’s hand closest to her, gently lifted her palm, and placed it on the wooden board between them.

“Back then, I was envious of the other me. Disappearing made you fight with your life like that, while I could only watch, because my Highness had already sacrificed herself due to my failure to protect her. But I never imagined even someone from another world like me would be so valued by the you here. What the other me experienced and didn’t experience, I’ve experienced it all. This must be a Goddess’s gift, letting me see you once more before my world’s destruction. The old me never even dreamed of such a day.”

Reаd оn KαtRеaⅾiոgСafе

“…Don’t say such embarrassing things.”

“I will say it.”

Persistently emphasizing, Anastasia took out a huge paper bag from somewhere, needing both hands to hold it. She offered it to Fia with a rather sacred gesture, her gentle gaze lingering on the bag.

“These are dried flowers I collected before falling into deep sleep. Originally meant for myself to blend new scents, but now they’re not needed anymore. Please keep them well. When you think of me in the future, use them properly with the method I taught you.”

“Hey, what are you saying?” Not taking the bag, Fia furrowed her brows, putting her cup aside. “It’s just one failure, not a life-and-death parting. Claire is already planning to use her soul-bound weapon for you. Why do you act like you’re failing to live up to her heart’s intent?”

“No… I’ve already received more than enough from you. You, Miss Claire, and everyone around me—all should have treated me with an exclusionary attitude. Instead, you treated me as a true family and friend. Any more, and it would become an unrepayable debt.”

“It’s fine if it’s unrepayable. No one truly wants you to repay it.”

A hint of anxiety appeared in Fia’s voice. She saw Anastasia’s state wasn’t right, especially her complexion. Even under the sunset glow, it was visibly turning pale. The hand on her own kept trembling.

Anastasia didn’t directly answer. She lowered her head, regretfully placing the large bag beside her, looking at Fia’s right hand.

“You’re wearing a ring I haven’t seen before… it’s still shining…”

“What are you talking about at a time like this?! Right now, immediately, come back with me. Rest properly in bed. Stop worrying about this and that.”

Unable to suppress the urgency in her heart, Fia was about to stand from the platform. But Anastasia held her back, her eyes holding entreaty and a bitter smile. Her lips were deathly pale, voice exceptionally weak.

“It’s already enough. This is the last… As you can see, actually, I can’t even stand up now. The other me is calling for this body. I have to go.”

Fia startled suddenly, her body trembling. Yet, clinging to a final strand of hope, she slowly sat back down, forcing a smile.

“Don’t say such silly words. It’s just sleeping for a while, waking after a long time. By then, Claire and I will definitely save you, not let you return there. We haven’t given up, how can you ? Right, there’s the card game. The unfinished one in the room? We said we’d finish it next time you woke up. How can we leave it unfinished and forgotten when we’ve found a solution?!”

But Anastasia merely looked at Fia calmly and with relief. Only after Fia’s string of advice finished did she, with her increasingly pale face, slowly, somewhat strenuously answer.

“But I can’t last until then. I know my own state better than anyone… I won’t say cruel words like asking you to forget me… After returning there, I will strive to live, persisting until you appear before me like a savior. As for now… I… may I lean against you?”

Without waiting for an answer, Anastasia’s body swayed. Clearly, her physical decline had reached a point she couldn’t control.

Even asking to lean against her was to hide the weakness.

Fia tensed her whole body, embracing Anastasia, letting her lean on her shoulder.

The burning hot, soft touch, as if she had no bones.

She was weak to the extreme.

Fia knew this very clearly.

Something in her heart felt like it was shattering. She pressed her lips tightly together.

Anastasia’s murmur sounded in her ear.

“…As expected, no matter when, you are always so gentle. I’m satisfied. Back in that world, I never imagined I’d see you again, let less that you would indulge me like this. Clearly having seen through my thoughts long ago, yet half-willingly letting me become your lover… I can’t find another master like you in this world. Even if I died now, there would be no regret… regret…”

Towards the end, Anastasia’s body twitched slightly. Crystalline liquid appeared in her clear blue eyes, tears sliding down one by one down her cheeks onto the back of her hand. Her voice became choked with sobs. She pressed her entire weight onto Fia, clinging tightly.

“I can no longer brew flower tea for you… sorry… The unfinished game too… I clearly still wanted to stay in this world longer, see more of the world with you in it, even if just a little… But… but I can no longer stay by your side, respond to your calls…”

Her voice trembled even more violently. Anastasia’s words were now only sobbing.

“I don’t want to be replaced by the other me… Why send me back at the final moment? Isn’t this just… nothing at all…? I just wanted to stay properly by your side… forever… staying with you…”

No answer could be given.

Anything said would only feel superfluous.

At this moment, she could only hold Anastasia tightly, unable to utter a single word.

Until a certain point, the sobbing Anastasia lifted her head. She looked into Fia’s similarly reddened eyes. The spirit in those clear blue eyes faded rapidly, as if vitality drained away in that instant. She gasped for breath, struggling to speak with an almost pleading voice.

“Right… I… I haven’t yet expressed my feelings to you… I haven’t sincerely spoken of my feelings… Dofi, I… I have always liked you… Even if it’s with this body… the ‘kiss’ mentioned last time… could you… satisfy me…?”

Intense longing and shyness appeared simultaneously in Anastasia’s eyes. She wanted to reach out and touch Fia’s face, but couldn’t.

Unable to control herself.

Fia could no longer clench her teeth. Her features twisted along with it, tears falling drop by drop down her cheeks onto Anastasia’s face.

“Mhm…”

Beyond this brief single word, she could say nothing else.

She lowered her head, her lips, mingled with tears, gently kissed Anastasia’s slightly parted mouth. But because of grief, she couldn’t go further no matter what. After a few seconds, Anastasia slowly moved her lips away herself. Clearly, her face was full of tears of reluctance, yet she smiled with satisfaction.

“This is enough… this is enough… I finally… finally received your acknowledgment… Ah… could you make… one more… promise… with me?”

“Any promise, Anastasia! Just stay and talk a bit more!”

Already able to feel Anastasia’s life slipping away, Fia held her tighter. But Anastasia only smiled gently, with effort lifting her neck to press close to Fia’s ear.

Reaⅾ οո ΚatRеadinɡСаfе

“Then… Don’t forget me… I… love you…”

The heavy panting came to an abrupt halt. Anastasia closed her eyes, her body going limp like a kite with a broken string.

Anastasia was gone.

Holding Anastasia’s body, Fia understood this.

Even at the end, a satisfied smile remained on Anastasia’s face.

“Anastasia…”

After silence for a considerably long time, Fia, still holding her, muttered. And this muttering quickly became uncontrollable, overflowing emotion.

“Anastasia, I too… I too… love you…”

Under the star-filled sky, in the cleaned wooden house, uncontrollable low sobbing echoed across the open wilderness.

◇

When time moved from night to the dim light of dawn, Claire quietly pushed open her room door. Her room was more on the inside than Fia’s, so if she wanted to go downstairs, she would inevitably pass Fia’s door.

She stopped before Fia’s door, her gaze towards the room full of worry. When Fia returned last night with the unconscious Anastasia, everyone already knew Anastasia had vanished. That Anastasia held extraordinary significance for Fia was known to everyone in the Twilight Palace. In the current situation, it was hard not to worry.

This should be the time for her, the fiancée, to step in. But people naturally want to be alone after being hurt, to let wounds heal slowly. Intruding might have the opposite effect.

“Anastasia too… theoretically should have returned after the swap… yet she’s still in that unconscious state…”

Her right hand resting on her chest, Claire muttered in a low voice with downcast emotions.

Until the door before her suddenly made a “click” sound as the lock opened.

Almost instantly, Claire’s tail behind her stood straight up—after performing [High-Level Genesis] yesterday, Claire found she couldn’t revert to human form, and her body had become much shorter.

She tensed, until she saw Fia, eyes red, wearing a black gown, emerge from the room. She carefully turned her eyes, looking into the room behind Fia. The window inside was open, and it was brightly lit.

Claire instantly breathed a sigh of relief, but Fia spoke before her.

“Claire? Why are you like this? Waiting at the door for me?”

“Well… probably consuming too much mana caused this. I just came out myself. Um, little Fia, are you alright? And Anastasia?”

“I’m fine now. Anastasia is awake too.”

Rather, this outfit was put on her by Anastasia . And there was a point that specially required attention. For some reason, the situation has become rather subtle now.

“Uh… Miss Claire, g-good morning.”

“Anastasia? You’re awake?”

Seeing Anastasia—who was feeling extremely ill at ease—appear from behind Fia, Claire widened her eyes in surprise. She seriously observed Anastasia. The current Anastasia was shy yet also somewhat poised. Two completely contradictory behaviors appearing on the same person gave Claire an extremely uncoordinated feeling.

Normally, Anastasia would be so terrified she would kneel on the spot to apologize. Only the swapped Anastasia, due to unfamiliarity, would be natural and poised.

Anastasia’s face was bright red, awkwardly shifting her gaze away.

“Yes… I’m awake.”

“You seem a bit different from the Anastasia I know.”

“This is the subtle part I mentioned. Not sure what happened. The current Anastasia has the other Anastasia’s memories. But saying two souls fused feels not quite right either.”

To be accurate, the primary subject was still this world’s Anastasia. And this Anastasia, due to suddenly having an extra set of memories, felt unnatural, momentarily unable to tell who she was.

She didn’t know whether to be happy or worried.

“Memory fusion?” Claire was stunned, her gaze lingering between Fia and Anastasia. “What exactly happened?”

“ Sigh. Specific details require tracing back carefully based on yesterday’s events. Anyway, let’s go downstairs first. I made everyone worry recently. Next, I’ve decided to simultaneously solve the Chaos of this world, find their weaknesses for possible future use, and simultaneously continue searching for the Gods, drag all Gods and Darkborn together, and pry any potentially useful intelligence from them.”

If necessary, keeping them in captivity wouldn’t matter either.

For this, she needed to greatly enrich her magic library—at least learn all obtainable magic first. Even magic like Claire’s, reliant on emotional control, she would try to learn.

“Having a goal is good.” Claire hesitated a moment. While her eyes gazed at Fia, her slender tail, with a ball of fluff at the tip, unconsciously swept against Fia’s hand. “Are you really okay? Little Fia should understand the logic of ‘things that are too rigid are easily broken’.”

“Ahh, Claire can rest easy. This can also help solve the problem of the curse. Let’s go. And Anastasia, if you want to rest first, don’t force yourself. After all, you experienced that.”

“No, for me—I mean, I am very healthy now.”

“No need to emphasize formal honorifics.”

Fia let out a long sigh. She took Anastasia’s hand with one hand, while with the other pushed the now-smaller Claire’s back, urging them towards the stairs.

No matter what, she would bring that other Anastasia back. This was equally important as lifting Claire’s curse. Flailing around like a headless fly couldn’t solve problems. People needed to grow, and she had learned this now— always stay calm.

As for now, to have a good, calm think about what to do next was more important than anything else.